41
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$40.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Garland County, Arkansas: 41 recorded events between 1955 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #598 nationally and #20 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Garland County, Arkansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Garland County is the 2010s, when 9 of the county's 41 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Garland County archive, tornado makes up 5.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #598 for this hazard and #20 within Arkansas, putting it in the 79.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Garland County with 12 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-25 | EF3 | 16.8 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-03-05 | EF3 | 4.3 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-26 | EF3 | 28.8 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-03-14 | EF2 | 11.9 mi | 417 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-07 | EF2 | 12.2 mi | 600 yd | Crossed in |
| 2024-03-14 | EF2 | 8.5 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-25 | EF2 | 5.9 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-25 | EF2 | 14.4 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-27 | EF2 | 13.8 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-27 | EF2 | 4.2 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2011 | OZARK LITHIA | EF3 | 1 | 20 | $21.0M |
| Apr 25, 2011 | MADDOX | EF2 | 0 | 10 | $5.0M |
| Apr 25, 2011 | MADDOX | EF2 | 0 | 9 | $3.0M |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F3 | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| May 6, 1961 | F2 | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| May 26, 1955 | F3 | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jan 2, 2023 | BLAKELY | EF1 | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Nov 27, 2005 | PEARCY | F2 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2024 | PETTYVIEW | EF2 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2024 | MOUNTAIN VLY | EF2 | $0 |
| Jan 2, 2023 | BLAKELY | EF1 | $5.0M |
| May 22, 2022 | SUNSHINE | EFU | $0 |
| Mar 25, 2017 | MORNING STAR | EF0 | $0 |
| May 30, 2013 | MADDOX | EF1 | $500K |
| May 30, 2013 | LAKE OUACHITA EAST | EF1 | $100K |
| Apr 25, 2011 | OZARK LITHIA | EF3 | $21.0M |
| Apr 25, 2011 | MADDOX | EF2 | $5.0M |
| Apr 25, 2011 | MADDOX | EF2 | $3.0M |
Other hazards here
More from Garland County
- Thunderstorm Wind 344
- Hail 303
- Flash Flood 71
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Homes were destroyed in the Walnut Valley, Ozark Lithia, Ranch Estates, and Mountain Valley areas. Church buildings and the Teen Challenge building on Arkansas Highway 7 were badly damaged. Vehicles were piled up in the parking lot of the church. An 8-month old baby was killed in the Walnut Valley area. A Red Cross survey indicated approximately 25 houses and 21 mobile homes were destroyed, 22 houses and 5 mobile homes suffered severe damage, 18 houses and 4 mobile homes had minor damage, and 5 houses and 2 mobile homes were affected. A two-story house had its top floor removed. Several outbuildings and a well-constructed barn were destroyed. A portion of the tornado's track was determined during an aerial survey by the Arkansas Forestry Commission. This tornado exited Garland County northwest of the incorporated portion of Fountain Lake and entered Saline County in Hot Springs Village.
This tornado began just to the southwest of Jessieville, causing tree damage around an Arkansas Forestry Commission building. The tornado then quickly moved northeast into Jessieville, and caused damage to a few homes in town. Most notably, damage was noted to several buildings on the campus of Jessieville High School, and three out of four fixed light poles for the football field were bent over. The tornado continued to move northeast, doing damage to a pole barn just north of town, before finally dissipating.
This tornado affected areas around the Bear community, Brady Mountain Rd., the eastern end of Lake Ouachita, and Lake Ouachita State Park. A Red Cross survey indicated approximately 1 house destroyed, 4 houses and 3 mobile homes with major damage, 16 houses and 9 mobile homes with minor damage, and 3 houses and 1 mobile home affected. A large metal building that once housed a golf academy sustained severe damage, with the roof torn off and metal girders twisted. A camping trailer was blown into a field and destroyed. Several outbuildings were destroyed. Hundreds of trees were knocked down or snapped off. Numerous power lines were blown down. Considerable damage occurred at Lake Ouachita State Park. A portion of the tornado's track was determined during an aerial survey by the Arkansas Forestry Commission.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Garland County, Arkansas?
41 tornado events are recorded in Garland County between 1955 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Garland County?
The strongest tornado on record in Garland County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Garland County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Garland County, Arkansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arkansas/garland-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.